We were just about to leave when Gunnar handed me his gun and told me I might need to use it on him. Gunnar was diagnosed with diabetes when he was a teenager. The gun was his glucose gun and I would need to shoot him with it if he were to go unconscious from a diabetic reaction. Fortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to use it during our trip. With that out of the way we were off. We had planned that our first day would be our longest day of driving. And it was. We ended up arriving in Louisville around 8pm. After checking into our hotel, we walked to a restaurant taproom for dinner. I have an app on my phone that shows me where there are taprooms, so Gunnar put me in charge of finding beer. My choice for Louisville was Bluegrass Brewing Company. I drank a Bourbon Barrel Stout and enjoyed it. I’ve had many bourbon barrel beers. Many are either overpowered by bourbon taste or the bourbon taste isn’t too noticeable. This beer had a good balance with the bourbon taste. It was there but didn’t overpower the beer. I was thinking of getting a growler, but the beer was on tap as a nitro, so it was not available for a growler. Which ended up being ok as their growlers were clear glass. (Clear glass allows UV rays into the beer which can cause a skunky flavor. That’s why most beer bottles are brown; they don’t allow UV light to get through to the beer.) In the morning we were looking out our hotel window and saw the top of a baseball bat sticking above the top of a nearby building. That was the Louisville Slugger museum. The factory where they make Louisville Slugger bats is right in Louisville and they have a fun museum attached. There were bats from many great players on display. They also had bats from different players that you could hold. They made you were gloves to hold them and you can’t swing them. But, it was still cool. After the museum we hit the road heading toward Elizabethton, Tennessee for our first baseball game. The unexpected part of the drive was that we ended up in Virginia for a short time. The drive was very scenic as our route took us through Daniel Boone National Forest and the Cumberland Gap ending near the Great Smokey Mountains. It was difficult to find the stadium in Elizabethton, partially because it looks like a high school stadium. But we found it in time for the game. For the first time I took advantage of a senior discount. General admission tickets were $5 with a dollar off for ages 55 and up. Seating was a grandstand on the first base side. Unfortunately, the dugout takes up a large part of the grandstand and blocks the view from many of the seats. We sat a few rows up from the back of the dugout. The view was fantastic with the mountains in the background and the moon rising. The game started well for Elizabethton. They were playing the Greenville Reds. Andrew Cabezas had a no hitter going into the fifth inning. Yunior Severino hit a home run in the third to give Elizabethton the lead 1-0. In the fifth inning the Greenville catcher Robert Boselli got a hit. He hit a fly down the line in right field and the right fielder dove for it to try to preserve the no-hitter. But he missed it and hurt his leg. By the time the center fielder got to the ball it was too late. Elizabethton was held hitless for the last five innings while Greenville came alive for six runs in the last two innings. Final score was 7-1 for the visitors.
We spoke with some people in the stands. They were in from Minnesota and had paid for a package where they were able to throw out the first pitch and meet some of the players. They also received a bobble head that was left over from a promotion. They gave it to me. So, now I have a bobble head of the commissioner of the Appalachian baseball league. I also got a baseball. After a foul ball the first baseman, Chris Williams, tossed the ball to the dugout. He threw it to high and the ball went over the dugout into the stands. Or maybe he was throwing it to me, since I had on a Twins cap from 1987. Gunnar retrieved the ball and gave it to me. After the game we drove back to our hotel in nearby Johnson City. But first we stopped at a tap room I had found, Yee-Haw Brewing is in an old railroad station in town. I had a flight of three beers. Velvet Charmer, a strong scotch ale; Big Hoppa, a double IPA; and Munich Dunkel. I really enjoyed both Velvet Charmer and Big Hoppa. Although they were both pretty heavy. Sipping beers, not for chugging. Moving on the next day was to bring us to wrecked cars and a masquerading tap room.
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Today was a day where I was able to feel some affinity for the Pastor that I wrote about in my past post (https://www.timkwrites.com/blog/learning-about-life-in-mexico) about our family trip to Mexico. The Pastor was having a day where nothing went as planned. “You know”, he said, “there is a technical term for this. When you have everything planned out and nothing works the way it should. It’s a little word, only four letters. It’s called life.”
I was planning on writing more about my minor league baseball trip today, but life intervened. I took my dog, Lucy, for a walk this morning when it was only misting as opposed to raining. Near the end of our walk, she took off after a squirrel and ended up in some bushes. When she came out one side of her was totally covered with burrs. I tried picking them out and then eventually switched to using a scissors and cutting them out along with her fur. Which sounds easy, until you remember that I was dealing with a dog. All told, it was about two and a half hours. So, nothing got done this morning. No problem, I had a Board meeting at church tonight. So, I figured I’d be able to write after that. No such luck. While I was in the meeting I was called/texted by Alicia who was having car problems. I spent most of the night waiting for a tow truck with her. We had a nice chat. We had a few delays in the ETA of the tow truck. Then we noticed the app that was showing us where the tow truck was showed it moving away from us. We decided to call it a night and figure things out in the morning. Life. I just spent a long weekend up at the North Shore. This year is my Mother-in-Law’s 90th birthday and the whole family went there to celebrate with her. I couldn’t help but think that Debbie would be there in spirit. You might recall that I’ve written in the past about Debbie sending me hearts. (https://www.timkwrites.com/blog/hearts) I was hoping that she might send me another one on this trip. We didn’t have great weather for the trip, most days had rain and clouds. Still we managed to do a lot. Either together or in groups we hiked Temperance River, Cascade River, Oberg Mountain, Britton Peak and Sugarloaf Cove; went to Lutsen and rode the gondola up to the top of a mountain, rode the Alpine Slide or visited a winery; and spent time in Grand Marais. On Friday the sun even came out for a bit. During the day a group of us went to Sugarloaf Cove. It has a nice beach area and some rocky shoreline that’s fun to walk along. I thought that perhaps this would be when I would find a heart. I walked along the beach looking at the rocks for hearts (and agates.) I reached the end of the beach without having seen a heart. Feeling disappointed I moved on. At the end of the beach there is a little isthmus with a rocky peninsula going off in one way and the shore curving in the other direction. It’s a few short steps from the cove to lakeshore on the other side. I walked through and was struck by the sun shining off the water. I thought it might make a good picture. So, I pulled out my cell phone and snapped a picture while squinting into the sun. Which is exactly how to take a great picture it turned out. I looked at it later and thought it was a great picture. That evening when we were gathering to eat together I made sure to show the picture to everyone. (Yeah, I was showing off. I’m still showing off, this is the picture I took.) After I took the picture I continued hiking on the peninsula. I was feeling sorry for myself that I hadn’t found a heart rock. However, by the time I got to the end of the peninsula I was feeling better. Lake Superior will do that to you. I told myself that it didn’t matter if I had a heart or not. The love the Debbie and I had for each other still exists. As I hiked back, I ran into Alicia and Carlos coming in the other direction. I took a picture of them on a rock with a bit of a rainbow in the background. I thought to myself that our kids were better than any heart.
Later that evening, after I had shown the picture to everyone I was drawn to it again. I had the idea that perhaps there would be a heart in the rocks. So, I zoomed in on the bottom of the picture. Looking at the rocks I didn’t see anything heart shaped. But then I looked up above the rocks, and I found the heart in the water. Everything I thought when I was disappointed at not getting a heart is still true. But it was nice to know that Debbie was joining us for the birthday celebration. If you read my post about my trip to see the eclipse last year (https://www.timkwrites.com/blog/total-solar-eclipse-2017-part-one), you might remember that the trip had originally been planned around a tour of minor league baseball games. But, my friend who had planned on coming with had to cancel, and the trip ended up being just for the eclipse. This year I did the other part of the trip and I’d like to tell you about it.
As with any trip we were met with the kindness of strangers, confusion on directions, pleasant surprises, time wasters, good and bad food choices, and unexpected beauty. The true success of the trip came from spending four days in the car with my friend, Gunnar, and still being friends at the end of the trip. Planning started at the beginning of the baseball season as I pulled up the various team schedules on the internet. We were going to try to hit three minor league affiliates of the Twins – Elizabethton and Chattanooga in Tennessee, Cedar Rapids in Iowa. There were very few weekends when all three teams were playing at home. After figuring out which weekends would work we picked the weekend that worked best and started to plan. Meeting at a local tap room and looking at driving distances, it quickly became clear that the driving times would make it impractical to drive from one end of Tennessee to the other. We started looking at other minor league teams that we could visit that wouldn’t be so far out of the way. We ended up with a route that had one long driving day on the first day followed by 4 days of five to seven hours on the road. Here’s our itinerary: Wednesday, August 20 – Drive to Louisville, Kentucky Thursday – Louisville Slugger Museum, Drive to Elizabethton, Tennessee, Game: Elizabethton Twins vs. Greenville Reds Friday – Drive to Bowling Green, Kentucky, Game: Bowling Green Hot Rods vs. Lake County Captains Saturday – Drive to Peoria, Illinois, Game: Peoria Chiefs vs. Beloit Snappers Sunday – Drive to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Game: Cedar Rapids Kernels vs. Kane County Cougars, Drive to Minneapolis Gunnar and I each took two nights and made hotel reservations. I took on the task of looking for tap rooms along the way. I knew this was going to take more than one post to do, so I titled this Part One before I even started writing. I’ll be writing more in future posts. But for now, I’ll set the stage by telling you about the start of the trip. I drove to Gunnar’s home in Minneapolis and picked him up. After we loaded up his luggage and got into the car Gunnar handed me his gun and said, “Use this on me if I’m unconscious.” When Alicia started kindergarten, I took her to school. The first day they had a gathering for the start of the school year. I stayed and watched. I was new to Waldorf at the time, so I didn’t know what to expect.
There wasn’t anything surprising at the start. All the children came in and sat on the right side by grades starting with second grade and going all the way back to the eighth-graders. The new first graders were led in by their kindergarten teachers and sat in the front on the left side. Then it was welcome back, introductions of the staff and other announcements. After that came the Rose Ceremony. The names of the new first graders were read off. As each name was read the child would get up and come up on stage where there was a little wooden bridge. They would cross the bridge and shake hands with their new teacher. Then one of the eighth-grade students would hand them a rose and lead them to the seats on front of the right side that was set aside for the first-graders. It was fun to watch the different children and how they approached it. Some strode up confidently, their steps on the wooden bridge ringing out for all to hear. Some were hesitant, not sure of exactly where to go. But they all made it across the bridge and into first grade. The next year when Alicia made the trip across the bridge and into first grade I was there to see it. And I started coming back to see the Rose Ceremony. Without realizing that I was building a streak, I was there for the start of every year while Alicia was at the school. And then every year while Andrew attended. And then every year while Debbie was teaching. And now, so far, every year for Debbie’s former class. I think the children also sense there is some special meaning with the Rose Ceremony. When Andrew was born later in Alicia’s first grade year, it wasn’t too long afterwards that she figured that she would be in eighth grade when he was in first grade. The first thing that she said about it was, “I can give Andrew the rose on his first day of school.” And so, she did. And so, I’m planning on being back tomorrow for the start of the school year and my twenty-fourth Rose Ceremony. I had planned to write today about the trip I took last week. If you recall when I wrote about my trip to see the eclipse last year I talked about my original plan that had to be changed. The plan had been to go and see some Minnesota Twins minor league games along with seeing the eclipse. But that changed not too long before the trip and I ended up going to just see the eclipse with the son of some friends.
This summer I took the baseball portion of the trip from last year. I had thought I would be writing about that trip. However, I find myself needing to write about other things. I returned from my trip on Sunday evening. On Monday morning I found myself looking at my Facebook feed. Where in rapid succession I found out that it was the fifth anniversary of the death of my friend Karen’s husband, my brother-in-law’s thirteen-year-old chocolate lab, Belle, had to be put to sleep and my friend Duane had suddenly passed away. I know that not too long ago this would have been an occasion for me to turn inward and relive my own grief. But, I find myself more concerned for the people who were affected by these events than in how they affected me. That’s progress, I suppose. And that doesn’t mean I was unaffected by these events. I met Karen at a grief support group, and she along with the others in our small group have helped me tremendously. Belle was always a friendly and was there to greet us whenever we visited. She will be missed. Duane was a shock to me. He always seemed so solid and vital; it’s hard to imagine him suddenly leaving this world. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you’ve got a connection with Duane. His son Jeran accompanied me to see the eclipse that I wrote about last year. Also, if any of you were ever in Debbie’s classroom at the Waldorf school you’ve probably seen his handiwork. When Debbie was hired as the first-grade teacher in 2005, Duane made a nature table for her. It was a cross section of part of a tree and the three legs were made from thick branches. Please say some prayers for those grieving the passing of loved ones. I'm a bit busy this week, so I'm going to do this Tuesday's post on next Tuesday instead. I'll be able to fill you in on what I'm doing that's got me so busy.
I’ll be voting this Tuesday; there is a primary election in Minnesota. If you’re reading this I would urge you to exercise your responsibility as a citizen and vote.
When I started blogging, I made the decision that I would not use my blog for political writings. That’s evolved into not taking a side as I’ve had two instances where I talked about politics. In one case I wrote about how our Presidential election was looked at from a Tanzanian perspective. (https://www.timkwrites.com/blog/the-election-as-seen-from-tanzania) In another I made a one sentence comment. (I don’t remember what post it was, sorry.) The reason I decided not to write without taking sides was because I felt that if I were to start making partisan political commentary some people would stop reading because they would disagree with me. And that’s sad that we’ve become that way. Friendships fail, respect recedes, and wars are waged in comments. Our leaders feel their agenda is the equivalent of “our size fits all” with the emphasis on the ALL. Working together and compromising are disdained. While each feels that their positions will lead to a better country what’s happening is weakening us. Take a bit of time and think of the most interesting conversations you’ve ever had. Ok, got it. Now, how in how many of those conversations were you talking to yourself. How many times have you been in a class or a meeting and someone else has asked a question that you didn’t think of, but you wanted to hear the answer. One person can’t know all the answers and yet when it comes to discussing politics some want to allow only one point of view. I saw an article years ago where a study had been done in a manufacturing company. I don’t remember the exact details, but the stat that stood out for me was that if a person who could read at a sixth-grade reading level worked with a person who could read at an eighth-grade reading level together they could understand directions that were written at an eleventh-grade level. (I’m sorry I can’t remember where I saw the article; I’d like to give them proper credit.) It’s pretty clear that having more than one point of view is a good thing. I think that’s part of why the people who founded our country set up different branches of government with checks and balances. As we go into another election cycle, it’s my wish that we can be civil and respectful to each other, open to hearing other viewpoints, and enjoy some healthy debates. If you get into a debate that’s healthy make sure to thank everybody involved. Remember, friends can disagree with each other and they can even, gasp, belong to different political parties. I’m sitting here enjoying one of my Dorchester Ales. I’m pleased with the way it turned out. In competitions beer is judged based on aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel and overall impression. I’m going to try to use those categories to give you my impressions. Aroma: Malty and there is another flavor that fades a bit as the beer warms up. Appearance: Coppery color, clear but with very little head. Flavor: Malty, not sweet, again a flavor that fades as the ale warms up. I can’t think of a description for the flavor; it’s not bad. Mouthfeel: Carbonation level feels fine, very little aftertaste. Overall Impression: I like this beer. It’s not a knock your socks off beer, but I really enjoyed the balance. This beer grew on my and I enjoyed the taste better with each tasting. I’ll also tell you some of the feedback I’ve received from friends who’ve tasted the ale. My first tasters were a group of friends from church that I had over to show how to homebrew. They all told me it was good. Then one of my brewing partners tasted it. His reaction was, “yeah, it’s a good summer beer.” He was a bit distracted with his poker hand, so I didn’t get his usual analysis of what flavors he tasted. My next taster was a friend of the family who had moved to England back in the 1980’s. Jeannie was in town and we had a dinner with her and her mother. I brought some bottles over with me to share. I had not had the chance to label the bottles yet, so they were blank bottles. Jeannie took a drink of one and said, “Oh, it’s a proper British ale.” That made me feel good. I’m glad I brewed this Maybe I'll try it again in the future. I’m going to tell you about the lady in my life. Lucy is our pet dog and she’s a nine-and-a-half-year-old miniature schnauzer. She’s the one who gets me to go out for walks and keeps me company around the house. Lucy was a rescue dog. I think she may have been hit by her first owners. There have been times when I’ve reached up for an itch or to adjust my hearing aids and I’ve moved my hand quickly. Lucy will cringe and move away from me. My in-laws originally got her from the Humane Society. Apparently, her former family had a baby and found it too much to deal with both a baby and a dog. My father-in-law was beginning to suffer from dementia. He had always liked dogs. So, the idea was that having a dog to take care of would keep him active and involved. Unfortunately, he was too far gone to do that. My mother-in-law ended up taking care of Lucy in addition to all the caregiving she was doing for her husband. So, we took Lucy in. Lucy is usually a mellow dog. She is much more relaxed than the toy poodle we used to have. She does have her quirks though. She is a very sudden barker. When she barks there is no warning. She goes from zero noise to full volume with no transition. As a result, I usually end up jumping when she sounds off. I’m not even sure what she’s barking at sometimes. When she barks at people walking by in the street it’s interesting to watch her. She’ll bark at them, but the whole time her tail is wagging back and forth. I think if you could translate dog barks into English, that one would probably say, “Come and pet me or play with me, please, please.” The other day Facebook showed me some pictures I had taken a couple years ago while walking Lucy. It reminded me that I carry a camera in my phone while I’m walking. Then as if to reinforce that point when I walked Lucy that day she went sniffing at some weeds. When I looked more closely at the weeds, I noticed there were some wild roses blooming. Click went my camera. I’ve always tried to notice something beautiful in the world each day. It helped me out during some tough times to know that there was still beauty in the world. When Debbie was at home in hospice, we had her bed set up in the family room. Lucy just wanted to be on the bed with Debbie. Unless, someone came to the door. Then she would run to the door barking. We had to turn off our door bell, not because the door bell was bothering Debbie, but because Lucy would be on her bed and would start barking as soon as she heard the doorbell. She stayed with Debbie, cuddling close to her feet. Then after Debbie died, she never went back up on that bed.
Lucy’s been through a lot of leaving in her life. Her first family gave her up. My in-laws had to give her up also. Debbie died. Alicia left for Mexico, came back and then moved out. Andrew went away to college. She’s an example of resilience for me. She still experiences simple joys; cuddling on the bed, playing, chasing bunnies in the yard, sleeping. |
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